Boston Pops Goes Scottish

Classical Remarks

July 02, 1989|By RAYMOND JONES Columnist

Forget what I've said about this being a golden age of recording. The latest CDs are of such a fascinating variety, I'm inclined to call this a platinum era! With Scottish festivals abounding during the summer, three new releases are timely. "Pops Britannia" on Philips (420 946-2) finds John Williams and the Boston Pops in Scottish, Irish and English musical attire.

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies is represented via his "An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise," a work commissioned by Williams and the Pops. Scored for solo bagpipes, violin and orchestra, its a wonderful piece. Add to that excerpts from maestro Williams' score to "Jane Eyre" and the Bay State Pipes and Drums in "Scotland the Brave," plus Irish fare like "Danny Boy" and English favorites such as Walton's march "Orb and Sceptre,", "Brigg Fair" of Delius and the "Greensleeves Fantasia" of Vaughan Williams and you have a hit disc.

There's more: two CDs from Qualiton Imports on the Scot-disc label.

"The Sound of Kintail" features extraordinary solo piping from Kenneth McDonald (CDITV 460) while "Highland Fiddle Orchestra" is a tuneful romp of reels, jigs, airs and waltzes that'll keep you roamin' in the gloamin' for sure (CDITV 423).

What is assuredly one of the major releases of the year comes from EMI. The Berlioz "Symphonie Fantastique" is given the original-instrument treatment by Roger Norrington and his London Classical Players (CDC 7 49541 2).

How fascinating to hear the little harps in the Bal movement and the deep and daring ophicleides. Adhering to the original tempi specified by Berlioz, Norrington's performance can justly be called relevatory. It opens one's eyes to a work that has been a standard and which has had a fresh aural cleaning and tune-up. Absolutely fascinating.

If powerful, tonal, quite accessible modern symphonic music is up your alley, then rush out to get a Danacord 2 CD album containing Ruud Langaard's Symphony No. 4, "Leaffall," and Symphony No. 6, "The Heaven-Storming" plus his "Music of the Spheres" (DACOCD 340/41).

John Frandsen leads the Danish Radio Symphony in live performances, joined in the "Spheres" music by soprano Edith Guillaume and the Danish Radio Choir. Highly recommended.

More exciting fare via Qualiton Imports is heard on the Norwegian Aurora label.

Harald Saeverud steals a few pages from Ibsen and Grieg with his two "Peer Gynt" Suites. Inventive and catchy stuff here, and the composer's well-hewn Piano Conceto is added for good measure (NCD-B 4954).

Greek maestro Miltiades Caridis leads the Oslo Ohilharmonic in the "Peer Gynt" music while pianist Jan Kayser is heard with the Bergen Philharmonic under Karsten Andersen in the concerto.

Another noted Norwegian composer, Eivind Groven (1901-1977), rates an entire CD (NCD-B 4956). His nifty overture "Hjalarljod" is coupled with his setting for soloists, chorus and orchestra of the visionary Norwegian ballad "Draumkvaedet." The fantastic dreams of principal character Olav Asteson give composer Groven an amazing source of inspirations. A treasurable disc.

"Draumkvaedet" is the sort of thing Vaughan Williams could really have dug into had he been Norwegian. Vaughan Williams did tackle the visionary "Pilgrim's Progress" of Bunyan, and parts of that score inspired his Symphony No. 5. That wonderful symphony is played to perfection by the Royal Philharmonic under Andre Previn for Telarc (CD 80158). The "Tallis Fantasia" fills out his rich disc, and the sound is fabulous.